The crescendo of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, Melbourne Cup Week at Flemington, may be done and dusted for another year but that doesn’t mean the high class racing in Melbourne Town is totally done and dusted, we’ve still got a terrific card of racing at William Hill Park, Sandown tomorrow.

Race 1

$120,000 listed Magical Kingdom Stakes, open 2 year old set weights race.

On exposed race form there’s only one horse you could back 7.Miss Rock, Robbie Laing’s Fastnet Rock filly who won on debut in the listed Debutant at Caulfield before finishing 3rd in the Gr3 Emirates Airline Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington when she loomed to win but got bogged down in the worst part of a biased Flemington track. 8.Motown Lil comes through that same Flemington race and has to be some hope with natural improvement from her debut outing. She was well supported in pre-post markets for that run before easing on track so maybe the experience of going for the races for the first time took a toll. Tony McEvoy has proven he has a strong 2 year old crop already this season, highlighted with a impressive feature 2yo winner during the Flemington carnival. He has two runners engaged here both on debut, 1.Jackson & 11.Sweet Varden. Both have trialled twice in Adelaide in preparation, with Sweet Varden winning it’s latest trial effort. Early market supports suggests 7.Miss Rock is the hardest to beat. As much as $3.70n was put up with the best shopping now $3.30 with sportsbet.com.au. As low as $2.80 with luxbet.

I like what I see with Miss Rock, she looks a natural early 2 year old type and should prove hard to beat. Price ok.

Race 2

1400m listed race for the 3 year old fillies.

5-1 the field with a stack of genuine hopes in the race with no clear stand out via form analysis or ratings.

6 of the 14 runners come through the Lexus Hybris plate from Melbourne Cup Day at Flemington. 5.Indarra was the best of those finishing in 2nd 3L off the impressive winner Don’t Doubt Mamma. She’s had 3 starts for 3 placing’s and whilst she doesn’t appear a star, is a consistent type and that can be respected in such a field. 6.Irada was very good fresh at Caulfield and her pattern wasn’t suited by the pattern Cup Day at Flemington, she’s a major hope. Beautifully bred filly 9.Russian Empress by Fastnet Rock out of Readyforcatherine bolted in by 6L last start to break her maiden status in impressive fashion, can go on with it! 12.Micondesa won on debut impressively. Faces a rise in grade no doubt but has scope and must be respected from the Hayes yard. Good hope. Could list them all nearly! Tough race. The best best backed is the 12.Micondesa into $5 now from as much as $6.

Not keen to play, 5.Indarra each way at $8.50 my best suggestion with CrownBet.

Race 3

Looks a genuine match-race between 3.Generalife & 4.Under The Louvre. Generalife resumed in the tab.com.au Stakes Derby Day and was running on hard without ever having much room. A good line through that race was Delectation whose run was almost identical to Generaife’s, it came out 7 days later and won the big $1,000,000 Flemington Gr1 Sprint Stakes Day. Not bad. With any luck Under The Louvre could be chasing his 5th win on the trot and be about a $1.33 chance here. He’s not though, he’s instead funnily enough still chasing his first win from his 5 run preparation. He’s a get back run on horse and those type always need luck. He’s had zero luck at any of his last 4 outings and 1300m is ideal. Drawn in 7 which helps his cause, doubt he’ll get strung up in traffic and in a smallish field he won’t have to get a mile off them. Will have his chance to run on in the vast Sandown stretch and luck shouldn’t be a factor. 1.Smokin’ Joey has class and is resuming here, only won once from 11 fresh though. 2.Famous Seamus isn’t going as well as say 12-18 months ago but is honest and a blowout hope. 10.Bring Me The Maid could win this quiet easily if at her best.

Back Generalife & Under The Louvre for a equal stake, go hard, go big! You won’t win as much as if you were to back only one and get the winer but it looks a distinct case of the old “whatever I back, the other one will win”. Hedge your bet.

Race 4

8.Good Project is in terrific form. was huge last start at Flemington but is short enough in this grade at $3. That doesn’t tempt me. 3.Star Rolling is a group 2 winner. He’s a high class galloper and proven fresh performer. Interesting he turn up here, that’d suggest he’s been targeted for it. Can win. 25/1. 2.Charmed Harmony is a great hope. Only fair last time but forgive that and he’d be the favourite coming ff a great gr1 performnace in Rupert Clarke. Melbourne Cup winning trainer now based in Brisabane John Meagher is still sharp as a tack for an old, self confessed ‘battler’ (drives around in Porshe while other 2 are home in garage). He has 10.Harada Bay here. Many would wonder why Meagher brought the averagely performed gelding south, but he’s run 2nd in both Victorian starts, it hot company. Supported on both occasion. John’s horses are target for one race each campaign with anything else a bonus. This is his target in the south. Meagher’s old apprentice S.King rides. Can be winning. Follow any support with degree of confidence for sure. 6.Hosting has been good in two runs back. Looks to be peaking here. 5.Akavoroun has an abundance of talent, I’ve long been a fan of the horse. Probably best on wet though. Always a Costly conveyance so the day he does win again it’ll be around the 10/1 – 12/1 mark he is here. Hope. 1.Ninth Legion & 4.Mr Utopia are honest types and wouldn’t shock.

Tough race so I’ll stick to what I perceive the value in the race and back Harada Bay, on suspicion.

Race 5

The Zipping Classic, named after the old beauty Zipping who was a 4 time-consecutive winner of the race previously known as the Sandown Classic, but fittingly renamed to honour the lloyd Williams owned war horse.

Small field so tactics will inevitably win the race. 6.Rising Romance maps to get the best run and such I’d have to side with him. 3.Tall Ship looks a very progressive D.K Weir trained stayer and could well pick this up en-route to bigger things in the future. Regally bred. 1.Who Shot Thebarman was terrific in the Melbourne Cup, would’t have won but was clearly going to be in the top 5 in not for severe interference in the running (Dettori copped a month & $20,000 fine for incident). 7.Kirramosa has been ticking along nicely for this and it has been targeted for this race, that’s a big bonus.